While all animals eat to survive, humans mostly eat to indulge. If you think you are rich enough, try these Most Expensive Food in the World.
Humans are the only animals in the world who can cook their meals, and trust humans to turn these survival fuels into fancy feasts. While not every one of us has the luxury to enjoy these feasts, we sure wish we could! This is why many food items are sold at exorbitant prices today to fulfill our wishful fantasies.
Every culture has its own cuisine, and history related to food and to people. Food can also be a statement of luxury. The definition of “expensive” may vary from person to person, but there is no doubt that the food items included in this list are indeed ridiculously costly.
Here is a list of twenty such preposterously Most Expensive Food in the World:
1. Matsutake Mushrooms
Matsutake mushrooms are very hard to find, so their value is estimated at $600 for one metric weight unit. Matsutake mushrooms can only be found in Japan. On top of that, they conjointly grow in other places of the continent.
Yet, the range has diminished considerably for the harmful pests attacking the organism as it grows. Since we cannot grow Matsutake mushrooms artificially, there is a high likelihood they might disappear altogether within some time in the future.
2. Kopi Luwak Coffee
It’s funny how a labor’s drink is now a statement of luxury! But what is more ironic is how the most expensive coffee in the world actually has a pretty strange taste.
Kopi Luwak coffee is extracted from the poop of elephants in Indonesia, Philippines, and South Asian countries. They are produced in industrial quantities after they’re extracted from the poop of elephants. And then, they go through a rigorous purifying process.
Its price fluctuates between $250 to $1,200 per kilo. It’s infamous for the terribly specialized process through which it’s produced. Would you like to drink this expensive elephant poop coffee?
3. White Pearl Albino Caviar
Although caviar is an expensive food itself, this particular type of caviar beats all records. Caviar is an unfertilized fish egg and is eaten as a delicacy in many parts of the world. The white pearl albino caviar comes from the Albino Sturgeon.
The Albino sturgeon are found in deep, soft bottomed areas of estuaries and are quite gigantic fishes that live within the Caspian Sea. The reason why the price of this particular type of caviar is so ridiculously high is that they are very hard to procure. One kilo of this caviar may be priced at €8,500 ($9,100).
4. Saffron
The queen of spices, saffron, is not only one of the most expensive foods but also the most celebrated condiments in some parts of the world. Saffron most likely originated in Iran and was most widely known for its distinct fragrance. The wholesale and retail price of saffrons range from $500-$5000 per pound.
The reason this seasoning is so expensive is that saffrons grow in a time frame of less than seven days per year during the fall. It has to be collected and processed by hand. On top of that, to collect just one metric unit of saffron, it’s necessary to sort through three hundred thousand flowers. It indeed is a precious beauty!
5. White Truffles
Also called the White Diamond of the kitchen, White truffles or Alba truffles are harvested in Italy during the short winter months. Truffles grow under the ground and range in various shapes and sizes. These irregularly shaped knobby little fungi are so sought after because of the mystery surrounding them.
Truffles are preposterously expensive because of the special conditions under which they are grown and also because of their distinct taste. It’s quite difficult to describe the nuances of the white truffle’s taste, which is often depicted as garlicky or similar to shallots.
But even that description falls short to describe the earthy taste with a trace of nutty flavor and woody undertones. In Europe, one kilogram of white truffles is priced at around €2,000 ($2,100).
6. Ayam Cemani Black Chicken
This special chicken happens to exist only in the island country Indonesia, and it’s not traded to any other country in fear of disease. It’s so hard to find this breed that a single bird will cost you $200 in the native country and over a thousand bucks overseas. Ayam Cemani chicken is slowly starting to be bred in Malaysia as well!
7. Japanese Wagyu Steaks
You have probably heard of Wagyu cows being carefully bred in Japan. For its exquisite taste and rarity, one standard unit of this meat can reach up to $450. The incredible smell and superior quality of the edible fat come from delicate and cultural farming techniques of the Japanese farmers. Many other countries have been trying to recreate the Wagyu but spectacularly failing to reach even near this quality.
8. Dry-Cured Iberian Ham
From the country of many European traditions, Spain, comes the costliest ham of the world, Jamón Ibérico. To buy 1 kilogram of this ham of the peninsula, you have to spend around €365 ($392). The astounding price is because of the environment and the ways in which the pigs are raised in Spain.
9. Moose Cheese
You have surely seen the majestic Moose grazing with its long horns. World’s most valuable cheese comes from these animals, and only one destination of the world is responsible for bringing this delicacy to life – a house farm in Sweden.
The pinkish touch of color in the pure white and the superior taste are the reasons why it costs over $1000 for just one kg. They are made in extremely little quantities to preserve the sanctity of the moose.
10. Swallow’s Nest Soup
Of all the crazy things you could eat, a bird’s net will probably make it to the top ten list for everyone. Eaten by Chinese people as a delicacy, the Swallow’s Nest soup is one of the most expensive food in the world. These nests are almost completely made of saliva and nothing else. So, what makes this particular food so expensive?
The price has more to do with the process of procurement rather than the food itself. Swallow’s nests are usually found on high cliffs, and collecting them is quite a dangerous task as there is a risk of falling down. The thrill and danger add to the price of this soup, which comes at $3000 per kilogram.
11. Zillion Dollar Lobster Omelet
Lobster and omelet at a zillion dollars?! This may come as a shock, but this food is not exactly zillion dollars. The name is just a part of the publicity. Don’t sigh in relief, though; this dish, which consists of a simple omelet and Sevruga Caviar spread on an entire lobster, will cost you $2000!
12. Christmas Cake Of Tokyo
We are tired of seeing Sheikhs moving around golden and diamond Porsche. Strangely, a Japanese chef is trying to get their attention (who else will buy this, anyway?). This chef spent nearly a year baking a cake with around 250 diamonds of 170 carats.
Why did we bring up the Sheikhs? Well, this cake will cost you $1.7 million! We can’t imagine anyone but Sheikhs spending that much money on a cake.
13. Atlantic Bluefin Tuna
Tuna fish sandwich is probably the most common breakfast, lunch, or dinner meal for American as well as British millennials. But here’s a kind of tuna that will make your jaw drop. Atlantic bluefin tuna will not cost you five bucks like any regular tuna, it’s price will actually be around $ 1.8 million. Want a tuna sandwich with this meat?
Atlantic BlueFin tuna is extremely rare; it’s likely to go extinct in a few years. Famous for the soft red delicacy of meat, the price can go as high as $ 3.1 million.
14. Da Hong Pao Tea
Earl Gray enthusiasts, hold your breath for the most delicate tea of the world! No, it’s definitely not what you’re drinking. In the rocky mountains of China, a smoldering, robustly sweet and woody tea is found by the name of Da Hong Pao. Fresh oolong tea will cost you around a hundred bucks.
Like wine, this tea gets better with age, and only twenty grams of this tea will cost you nearly $20,000. Doing some simple math, that means one kg will cost around a million dollars!
15. To’ak Chocolate
Who doesn’t love chocolates? It’s no surprise that we’ll find at least one chocolate item on our list. Let’s talk about To’ak chocolate, in particular. The exotic name speaks for itself. It comes with pure cocoa of 73%, and the rest is made of booze. The chocolate formula is then fermented in tequila or Islay whiskey. One small bar of 50g will cost a whopping $260!
16. Ethical Foie Gras
Foie gras has stirred gossip and unfriendly chatter throughout the world for many years. One peninsula farmer of Spain begs to differ. The dish gets a bad name since the geese are force-fed, and this farmer urges that he doesn’t do such an evil thing in the name of food. For just 125 grams of his foie gras, your wallet will lose weight by $154.
17. Abalone
Although not everyone’s favorite dish on this list, we have to say, have you ever seen a fancy party without a bunch of dishes full of mollusks that hardly anyone touches? This shell guy is the costliest one with a price tag of $500 for a kilogram of it.
Abalone mollusks are getting harder and harder to find, and many governments have prohibited catching more than ten of these guys a day. Perhaps, we have already seen these guys alive in parties and graciously moved past to the pastry section, who knows?
18. Lambda Extra Virgin Olive Oil
With all the olive gardens and olive oil business depicted in mafia films originating in Italy, we would certainly expect to find the most expensive olive oil from Italy. To our surprise, it comes from the country of Greece in Mount Olympus. This one has a special flavor and extremely low acidic nature, which is why it costs $74 for 500 ml.
Don’t be so happy! This is the starting price; the higher the quality of processing, the higher the price. So, the prices can reach as high as $15000 for the same quantity.
19. Matcha Green Tea Powder
This special green tea powder, which is high in caffeine and antioxidants, has skyrocketed in popularity recently as matcha latte, shots, teas, and even desserts are becoming widely available in coffee shops. This tea is ground into a fine powder and is used in different food items, including ice cream! One kilogram of pure matcha can cost as much as £230 ($288).
Original matcha is super expensive because of how time and labor-intensive it is to produce, and it can only be made from the highest quality leaves.
20. Manuka Honey
In many cultures, honey is described as a curing food. Honey industries have used this notion very well. The last item on our list is honey that can cure literally everything! The syndicate has even given a scale to measure your Manuka honey which is known as Unique Manuka Factor, and the rating has to be more than ten to be a good bargain, which is $500 per kilogram.
Conclusion
With this article, we have travelled to distant mountains of China, to fancy restaurants around the intersection, flying to Moose farms of Sweden and caught Bluefin Tuna of the east. Food is a delicacy for some, a necessity for others.
In any case, everyone wants to taste something they can’t afford. We hope you get to try out some of these most expensive food in the world at some point in your life too!
